


Harringrove Tumblr Prompt Fills

by Dee_in_between



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Foster Family, Bisexual Steve Harrington, Child Abuse, Child Neglect, Gay Billy Hargrove, Homophobic Language, Hospitalization, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Self-Esteem Issues, Whump
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-07
Updated: 2019-08-07
Packaged: 2020-08-11 01:21:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20145220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dee_in_between/pseuds/Dee_in_between
Summary: Prompts sent to me onTumblr. Send me something and it might end up here, too! :)





	1. First gifts

#

Giraffewrites asked: What do you think the first presents Steve and Billy get each other? 👀

Billy doesn’t let Steve drive often. He likes to be in control and being a passenger makes him antsy. Normally this isn’t a problem. Steve doesn’t mind letting Billy drive them wherever they’re going. But when the Camaro is in the shop, Billy doesn’t really have a choice. Steve picks him up from the garage and, oh god. As if being stuck in the passenger’s seat doesn’t make this hard enough, he discovers what his boyfriend listens to. It’s all bubblegum pop. He feels like his ears are gonna bleed and when Steve starts belting “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” Billy seriously considers just opening the door and letting himself fall out into traffic. 

When Steve picks him up to drive him to work the next day, Billy shoves a tape at him. “You are in desperate need of some music education, Harrington.” There’s a lot of what Steve had expected. Rush, Metallica, AC DC, Zepplin, Scorpions. What he didn’t expect was the last song. Sure, he thought Billy would be into the Stones. But he never expected to hear “Wild Horses” on a mix put together by Billy Hargrove. Steve finds himself laying on his bed with his walkman and grinning at the ceiling like a total goober while he listens to it over and over and over. 

It takes a few days but Steve finally thinks he has a good mix of his own. “I liked it,” he tells Billy. “I think the last song is my favorite.” Billy shrugs nonchalantly but he’s still avoiding Steve’s gaze. 

“Yeah, man. The Stones are good.” Steve sees right through it. Billy’s embarrassed and it only makes Steve love him more. 

“I uh, made you one too.” He hands over the tape and Billy wrinkles his nose at it, looking up at Steve like he just handed him a slug. 

“It’s not all Madonna, is it?” Steve rolls his eyes and shoves the tape into Billy’s chest. 

“Listen to it and find out, asshole.”

Billy does listen to it. And there is a lot of Madonna and Wham and the like. But it’s…not awful. They aren’t the ones played to death on the radio or that Max is always dancing to in her room. They’re actually pretty good if Billy would ever admit it. But it’s the last song that gets him. 

‘You can lose courage 

and the darkness inside you

can make you feel so small

But I see your true colors shining through

I see your true colors

That’s why I love you

So don’t be afraid to let them show

Your true colors

True colors

are beautiful like a rainbow’

And if Billy tears up just a little bit…well, that’s his business.


	2. FosterDads!AU

#

The [post](https://mother-shipper.tumblr.com/post/186723233658/seven-oomen-mother-shipper-mother-shipper) that started it. Read this first!

alien-tribute asked: OOH ok so since you asked for Harringrove prompts: Billy and Steve giving the kids "The Talk" and being super awkward about it. It can be super fluffy or end in smut idc, I just think it'll be cute! 😊

Connor is their oldest. Until him, the oldest they’d taken in was 11 so they never really had to handle puberty in full swing. It never really occurs to them that this is something they should be discussing until it happens. 

It being catching Connor with a girl in his room. They have Simon’s basketball game to go to and Connor tells them he doesn’t feel well. He begs to stay home and Billy’s the one that finally talks Steve into allowing it. He’s more than old enough to be home alone for a couple of hours. Billy doesn’t that he’s sick for a minute but it won’t hurt to let him have some time to himself. 

So they let Connor stay home while the rest of the family heads over to the middle school to cheer Simon on. Two things happen. They win their first game all season and Simon makes his first free throw. How can they not celebrate that? They go out for ice cream after and little Meghan, her face caked in a mixture of melted chocolate/vanilla twist and rainbow sprinkles, tells them that they can’t forget to get one for Connor. Meghan was what they called a “target child” and as a result, she was always very particular about everyone being treated the same. So of course, they get a cup to go for Connor too. 

Since Meghan had thought to bring it, they let her be the one to give it to Connor. She runs upstairs with a smile on her face to give Connor his treat. Steve and Billy are confused when she comes back downstairs with the Styrofoam cup still in her hands.

“I thought you were giving Connor his ice cream, sweety,” Steve says. Meghan sets it down on the table with a dramatic sigh. 

“He’s busy wrestling.”

Billy quirks an eyebrow at her. “Wrestling?”

“Yeah. And he’s not following the rules. ‘cuz she was tapping and pulling his hair but he didn’t let her up.”

The color drains from Steve and Billy’s faces and they turn to look at each other. 

“Alright,” Billy calls. “Everyone under five foot tall in the backyard, now.”

“But it’s dark out,” Hailey whines. Billy opens the junk drawer and starts handing out flashlights. Because he’s not taking the risk of any of the other kids seeing anything they shouldn’t. 

“Congratulations. You get to stay up late. Go play.”

Now that they have essentially been given permission to play with flash lights, they take off into the yard to play their own version of laser tag. Now they have to deal with the situation upstairs and Steve is half tempted to go play with the little ones instead. 

Billy pounds on Connor’s door. “You have thirty seconds and everyone better be decent!” 

There was audible scrambling from inside the room. When they opened the door, Connor was sat on his bed, shirtless with a pillow over his lap, red from his hairline to his chest. The girl was half hiding behind her long, brown hair while she tugged her skirt back into position. 

“You,” Billy said, pointing to the girl. “Go home. And you,” he fixed his glare on Connor. “We are gonna have a little chat.”

Connor wants to melt into the floor. He’s been caught and now he just wants a pit to open underneath him. Vanessa sorts herself and lets herself out, leaving Connor to deal with what’s coming his way. It’s quiet for a long time. Everyone’s embarrassed by this whole situation and none of them know what to say or do. It’s Steve who finally speaks first.

“Listen. This is all perfectly natural.” Connor groans like a wounded animal and hides his face in his hands. 

“Oh god. I’m gonna throw myself out the window.”

There’s another beat of silence before Billy reluctantly chimes in with “did you at least use a condom?”

“Oh my god,” Connor shrieks. He wants to be anywhere but here right now talking about anything but this. 

“Hey! You’re a big enough boy to stick your dick in her then you’re big enough to hear about it,” Billy snaps. “You think we wanna have this conversation either?”

“What Billy means is,” Steve interrupts, “We just want to make sure you’re being safe.”

Connor rolls his eyes. “I’m not stupid! I’m not gonna get her pregnant, alright? I pulled out.”

Billy buries his head in his hands and lets out a noise Steve hasn’t heard since he realized Steve thought “tire rotation” meant putting the car on a jack and spinning them. He pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration.

“I don’t know what’s worse. That you think that works or that you think pregnancy is the only risk factor here.”

“Connor, you can still get diseases,” Steve told him. “Unprotected sex is dangerous for so many reasons and a baby isn’t even the worst outcome. There are things you can catch that you will never get rid of. I know you’ve heard of HIV.”

“I thought only gay people get that,” Connor said, looking between them clearly panicked.

“Not only patently false,” Billy told him, “But offensive.”

“I didn’t mean-”

“We know you didn’t,” Steve told him. “It’s a common myth but a myth nonetheless.”

“When you don’t wrap it up, you’re opening yourself up to a whole host of potential problems,” Billy told him. “If you’re gonna have sex, you bag it and you keep it out of my damn house.”

Steve sighed. “By which he means, we want you to be safe and we don’t want the other kids seeing things they shouldn’t.”

Connor let out a sigh. “Yeah, alright. Fine. Can you leave now?”

“Oh, we’re gonna leave and put the other kids to bed,” Billy reassured him. “And when that’s done, you’re coming down stairs and the three of us are gonna talk about the horrors of chlamydia, herpes and genital warts until you won’t even wanna touch yourself without a condom on.”


	3. Robin Knows

#

Anonymous asked:  
Harringrove prompt! Robin reacting to finding out about billy and steve 👀👀👀

Steve’s always been into girls. He’s never had to question that. But after Robin comes out to him, it has him asking questions of himself. I mean, he’s looked at the other guys in the locker room on occasion. But it’s normal to size each other up. See how you stack up against the competition. …isn’t it? But it didn’t explain why seeing dudes bigger than him made something start to simmer just below his belly button. Maybe it was more than just comparing specs. 

He and Robin are laying together on his living room floor, staring up at his ceiling and listening to music when Steve asks. “How did you know you liked girls?”

“Oh, Steve, come on. Don’t be that guy.” 

“No no no. I didn’t mean it like that. I just…say hypothetically that someone…had some questions. About themself. How do you get the answers to that?”

Robin sees through that shit in an instant. “You’re not gay, Steve.”

“No. I know I’m not full blown gay but…can you like both? Is that a thing?”

Robin pauses, rolls over on her elbows and leans over Steve. “You’re serious about this, aren’t you.”

Steve nods. Robin thinks about it for a moment, turning over the thought in her head. “Well, I didn’t have any interest in boys,” she said. “I’d watch you guys play basketball and all the other girls were going nuts. Especially when the shirts came off. I never felt anything. But I could see Tammy Thompson smile and my heart would skip a beat. Her laugh made my chest ache and it was so good. Girls just…made me feel something. What about you?”

Well guys definitely made Steve feel something. But it wasn’t the same as what he felt for girls. In fact, he didn’t think anything came close to the effect Tammy had on Robin. There was only one person that came close. …but that wasn’t the same thing. It couldn’t be. No. He hated the guy. Steve pushes the thoughts away, dismissing it all for now. “I think this requires further data and analysis,” he answered. 

Robin can’t help the laugh that bubbles up in her chest. “Does that mean I have to change the board to “You Get Sucked”.

“Shut up,” Steve laughs, pushing her face away.

———

Steve doesn’t think about it much for the rest of the weekend but then it’s back to babysitting. They’re supposed to go to the arcade but the boys tell him that Max and El have a ride already. The last person he expects to see when they pull up is Billy. He’s still not back to himself. Not completely. But Steve doesn’t think anyone can face these things and come out unchanged. He looks good though. And there seems to be some new found thing between him and El. Billy is softer than he was. Still rough around the edges with a hard outer shell but he seems happier. He sticks around, keeps the girls close and the harsh comments he used to hurl at Max have a different tone. They don’t his as hard and she lobs back a few jabs of her own. Like some kind of secret language just for them. And it’s not until El asks Billy something and he sees Billy grin, the first genuine smile he’s ever seen from him, that Steve’s heart thumps in his chest. 

“Oh fuck. I’m bi.”

“What?”

“Nothing, Dustin! Go play Frogger!”

———–

From there, things start to evolve between them. They start hanging out on their own, not needing the excuse of watching the kids to enjoy each other’s company. And after a few to many drinks in Steve’s empty house, it’s Billy who makes the first move. Billy who kisses him and once he gets a taste, Steve’s enraptured by it. He doesn’t give Billy any time to doubt himself and kisses him back. Again and again. It’s the most intense experience Steve has ever had and he can’t get enough. They haven’t done anything more than make out and Steve’s about ready to come in his pants. Later, after Billy made him come twice and then finished over Steve’s chest and stomach -which, hello new kink- Steve doesn’t know how he’s ever going to keep this to himself.

————

He goes into work the next day and Robin takes one look at him, eyes narrowing and knows. “Who was he,” she asks excitedly then stops. “Wait. No. Don’t tell me. I wouldn’t want you to out anybody.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Steve protests even though he can feel his cheeks burning. Robin snorts and rolls her eyes.

“Don’t get shy on me now, Steve. I need data. Spill.”

Steve bites his lip against a smile and that only seems to make Robin more excited. She pulls out her whiteboard, uncaps her marker then stops. 

“No, no. This calls for actual notes. Let me get my backpack.”

The bell above the door jingles again, signaling a customer and, to Steve’s dismay and delight, Billy is there in the video store. He has Steve’s wallet in his hand and Steve knows as soon as Robin lays eyes on it, he’s busted.

“Hey, Harrington,” Billy calls out, putting on that sharp tone that Steve hasn’t heard directed at him in so long. “You dropped this. Outside. Where I found it. On the sidewalk.” 

Robin’s jaw drops slowly more, her eyes going wide. She turns to Steve who has his face in his hands. Billy is looking between them, confused. 

Robin breaks the silence, hands on her hips. “Well, shit, Steve. You don’t do anything halfway, do you.” Billy immediately goes cagey, fear and aggression starting to flair up behind his eyes when Robin throws him off by offering her hand. 

“Hi. How are ya? I’m the lesbian best friend.” Billy doesn’t know what to make of this. He looks at Steve, hoping for some kind of guidance but Steve’s too busy looking at Robin all starry eyed. 

“I’m your best friend?”

Billy and Robin both sigh, Billy pinching the bridge of his nose and Robin dropping her head against the counter. 

“So dumb,” Robin groans. 

“But cute,” Billy says cautiously, testing the waters. Robin smiles approvingly.

“Looks like we’re cursed to be the brains of this operation, Billy.” Billy’s mouth twitches up at the corners in a barely there smile.

“Tragic.”

Steve rolls his eyes. “You guys are assholes.”


	4. Self Deprication

#

Anonymous asked:  
Can we get a Headcannon of Billy realizing that Steve's self depreciating humor is actually a symptom of devestatingly low self esteem?

TW: homophobic language, internalized homophobia, mental abuse

So the way I’m imagining this is down the road. Our boys are living together in a tiny little apartment. Steve’s parents know about him and Billy. They were not at all supportive and Steve’s been cut off until he “comes to his senses”. However, his parents still call. Sadly, this has gotten him more of their attention than he ever got growing up. They never fail to tell him how disappointed they are, how he could have a good job with his dad if he just stops all this nonsense. And “really, darling. The town is starting to talk and your father doesn’t need that right now”. Or “he’s just waiting to rob you blind, Steven. Can’t you see that?” Except that Billy’s the one who hasn’t abandoned him even without his daddy’s money to spend.

Billy’s always known Steve to make jokes about being just a pretty face and not being good for much. He never really thought anything of it. But he’s noticing that with every phonecall from his parents, this sense of humor Steve has gets darker and he’s even harder on himself than usual. It’s not until he hears Steve call himself the f-word that he really sees how bad things are.

He came home from work to find Steve making dinner. “Smells good, babe.” Steve gave a hollow laugh, staring down at the pot on the stove.

“Yeah. Y'know. Sissy fags gotta be good for something.”

Hearing those words out of Steve’s mouth nearly stop his heart. Because he knows where that kind of self hatred comes from.

Billy grabs Steve by the wrist and spins him around, pinning him up against the fridge. “Watch your mouth,” he nearly growls. He takes Steve’s chin in his free hand, forcing him to look him in the eye. “That’s my boyfriend you’re talkin’ about. And no one gets to bad mouth my man.”

Steve gives this broken smile, trying to drop his eyes. “Billy-”

“No one. Understand me?”

It doesn’t sink in. Billy can tell it doesn’t. But Steve laughs and placates him. “Whatever you say, man.”

He leans forward to plant a kiss at the corner of Billy’s mouth. Billy doesn’t wanna let it go. But the chicken’s going to burn and he doesn’t quite know what to do. So he lets Steve go.

————

He credits the idea to Max who had taken to pinching the boys any time they said something that was questionably sexist or homophobic. Teaching them their words had a direct impact. It worked. They stopped slipping up and using phrases like “that’s gay” or “like a girl” in a negative way. He would have to adjust from her approach but the concept was the same.

Steve came into the bedroom, holding up one of Billy’s favorite tank tops turned pink.

“So. Guess what your loveable, fuck up of a boyfriend did this time.” Steve recoiled as something made impact right between his eyes, flailing and shouting as he almost fell over. “What the hell was that?!”

Billy sat on the bed, reloading the Nerf pistol with one of hundreds of darts in a bag beside him.

“I warned you, Harrington. No one bad mouths my boyfriend.”

Steve rubs at the red spot where the dart had made impact, looking at Billy in disbelief. “Are you serious? How much did that cost! You know I can’t get a good job! We need to save- AH!”

Billy fired another shot at him. “Sounded like you said my man can’t get a good job.”

“I can’t! DON’T YOU DO IT! SO HELP ME, BILLY!”

“Try again,” Billy coaxed, aiming the pistol at Steve in challenge. Steve seemed to flounder, trying to find word’s that wouldn’t get him fired at.

“My job doesn’t pay well enough…” Nothing. “So we have to save up until I can do better for US! BILLY!”

“Until,” Billy prompted, reloading again. “Think it through, Steve.”

Steve paused, trying to think over his words. “Until…I can find something that pays better.”

Billy smiled his approval. “There. Was that so hard?”

“Yeah, actually it was,” Steve pouted at him. Billy got to his feet, tugging Steve in close and slipping his hands into Steve’s back pockets.

“And that’s exactly why it’s important.” He kissed the spot between Steve’s eyes. “You don’t know how to be nice to yourself and that’s a problem.”

“Right. Because you’re mister positivity,” Steve sassed.

“I am when it comes to you.”

Steve laughed softly, dropping his head against Billy’s shoulder. “It’s just…hard, okay? I haven’t exactly accomplished mu-dON’T YOU DO IT, YOU SON OF A BITCH!” He grabbed Billy’s hand by the wrist, pushing away the dart gun he’d been ready to fire.

“Try again,” Billy coaxed. Steve huffed, trying to choose his words more carefully.

“Things haven’t gone the way I thought they would,” he tried. “And I’m not where I thought I would be financially.”

Billy lowered the gun. “Better,” he praised. “And that’s alright, babe. I’m not where I thought I’d be either. But are you happy?”

Steve sighed. “I mean I’d like it if we had a little more security. I wish I had more options-”

“Is that you or your parents talking,” Billy asked. The silence was all he needed to hear. “Steve, are you happy? Yes, things could be better but things could always be better. Are you happy right now is what I’m asking.”

Steve laughed softly against Billy’s shoulder. “How could I not be? We’re out here in our own. We have our own place. We’re together.”

“Then I think that’s more important than what your parents think or what they had planned for you.”

Steve wrapped his arms around Billy’s middle, clinging tightly to him. “You’re way more important.”

“Right back at ya.”

Steve smiled and pressed a kiss against Billy’s collar bone. “I love you.”

Billy hugged Steve tighter. “Love you too.”

The washer buzzed the end of it’s cycle and Steve gently extricated himself. “Uugh. Chores.”

Billy smiled and kissed Steve one more time before letting him go. He watched Steve leave, waited until he was at the end of the hall, took aim…

Steve yelped, rubbing his ass where the dart struck him. “BILLY!”

“That one was for my shirt.”

—–


	5. H/C

#

Anonymous asked:  
hey how about a hc where steve finds out it’s neil who beats billy and itches to go after him with the nail bat (like in so many fic tropes)

TW: descriptions of bodily injury, child abuse

Billy and Steve have only been tenuous acquaintances since that night at the Byer house. The fight had been intense but the moment the demodog had fallen out of the fridge at Billy’s feet, it all got derailed. 

“What the fuck is that, Harrington!”

“Uuuuhm-uh-a it’s aaaaa dog.”

“That’s not a fucking dog! That’s an abomination!”

Whether they liked it or not, Billy was part of this now. But the more time he spent with them all, the less Steve hated him. He was actually pretty likable when he wasn’t trying to usurp Steve and claim a crown he no longer wanted to begin with. Steve found he actually really liked having Billy around. They were pretty similar, liked a lot of the same stuff and they got along.

They got along so well that babysitting became a tag team job where Steve and Billy would take turns entertaining the kids, Billy would cook for everyone, Steve would clean up and keeping the kids from running off into the night to stare the boogie man down and spit in its face was much easier together. Billy had even started coming over those nights where the kids had their own thing going on and hanging out with Steve just the two of them. 

One night, he and Billy are watching movies and they end up passing out on the couch. When Steve wakes up alone in the house he doesn’t think much of it. He cleans up from the night before and goes about his day until he has to get ready for work. Then his phone rings. Surprisingly, it’s Max on the line. She’s never called him before and she sounds like she’s on the verge of tears.

“Can you come get us?”

Us? “Okay. Of course. Just…take a deep breath, okay? I’ll be right there.”

At first Steve is worried that Billy’s done something. He’s afraid that El and Max are stuck in a scary situation and that he’s gonna have to fight Billy again. But when he pulls up, Max comes out trying desperately to support Billy and get him in the car. He looks like he’s just gone a few rounds with Sugar Ray Leonard and it’s bad. Steve fears the worst. He grabs his bat from the back seat and jumps out to cover them while they hobble to his BMW.

“What was it? Where did it go?”

Max is crying. She swipes away the tears and spits “to the movies with my mom”. Steve is about to tell her that this is not the time for sarcasm but the look on Max’s face tells him she’s not joking. 

“What are you talkin’ about,” he asks carefully. Max sniffs.

“His dad. He was mad that Billy didn’t come home last night.”

Steve’s stomach sinks. Billy looks horrible, beaten bloody and barely coherent. And his own father was the one responsible. It all made so much sense. Everything he had hated about Billy and where it came from was suddenly crystal clear to Steve. He didn’t know if he wanted to be sick or break the man’s god damn windows. 

He does neither and instead, he takes over Billy’s heavy weight. Max lets him take the barely conscious Billy from her and hurries to open the door. He lays Billy across the back seat as gently as he can and Max slides in with him to make sure he doesn’t slide around.

“We have to stop somewhere,” Max says. “He needs bandages a-and medicine and-”

“We’re going to the hospital,” Steve tells her, his tone brooking no argument. 

“Steve, no,” Max pleads. “Please. I wasn’t even supposed to tell you. He’ll never trust me again, Steve. Please!”

“Better that than letting him die, Max,” Steve shouts. He sees her stricken expression in his rearview and feels instantly guilty. “I’m sorry,” he tells her, softer this time. “I’m sorry you’re in this position. I can’t imagine how hard this is for you. Both of you. But if we don’t take him and something worse happens…that’s not a risk I’m willing to take.” 

Max looks just destroyed and it takes everything Steve has not to scream and punch the steering wheel out of anger at this whole situation. How did he miss this? How did everyone miss this? 

“We’re gonna take him to the hospital and we’re gonna call Hop,” Steve tells her. “Even if Billy’s afraid to talk, you’re a witness. You can tell them everything, Max. He might get pissed but it’s our best chance at getting you both out.”

Max still looked so conflicted. “I promised Billy I wouldn’t tell anyone.” 

Steve sighed through his nose. “I know,” he told her sympathetically. “But you did the right thing asking for help.”

Max was quiet, staring down at Billy’s head in her lap, at the rise and fall of his chest, his curls in his bloodied, beaten face. “What’s gonna happen to him if we blow the whistle on this?”

Steve didn’t have an answer for that. Foster care maybe? But at Billy’s age, months from legal adulthood, it was unlikely. A halfway house seemed more likely unless he had someone to take him in. But compared to this?

His voice was soft, wishing he didn’t have to have this conversation at all. “What happens to him if we don’t?”

It was ominous, the atmosphere in the car heavy. But Steve knew they had their answer.

—————

Billy was in bad shape. Several broken bones, jaw wired shut and the doctor had said he was lucky his left retina hadn’t detached completely with the force he’d taken. He was out most of the time on some pretty serious pain killers which was honestly for the better. Steve hurt just looking at him. But the good news came that neither Billy or Max would be returning to that house. Susan would only be allowed supervised visitation to ensure Max’s safety. 

But then Steve learned that Neil was refusing to allow anyone to collect Billy and Max’s things. Steve was at Billy’s bedside when Hop was talking with Max about it. She and El had been inseparable and Max was allowed to stay with the Hoppers until they either completed the foster application process or the case was settled and they found Max other placement. Whichever came first. 

Steve saw red, his fists clenching at his sides. He wanted nothing more than to go down with his bat and let Neil try to stop him. He wanted to show him real pain. Wanted to put him in a bed just like the one Billy was stuck in now. But then a big hand clasps his shoulder and Steve looks up at Hopper. The look on the man’s face tells him he knows exactly what was in Steve’s heart right now.

“Let the adults handle this, kid,” he told him. “You got them out. That’s already more than you ever should have had to do. And besides,” the man’s eyes fell on the boy in the bed, looking so frail and broken, “You know in your heart where you need to be right now.” 

“I don’t…”

“You do,” Hopper told him, squeezing his shoulder. “We all do. And we’re all here for both of you.”

Steve bit his lip, letting his head drop. “That obvious, huh?”

“Only when you get that murder face on his behalf,” Hopper teased. “But from what I hear, you’re in good company.”

He couldn’t mean that. Billy didn’t like him like that. He didn’t feel the way Steve did. Max and El both rolled their eyes, Max muttering “boys are so dumb” before going back to painting El’s nails.

—————

Billy’s more or less been on a morphine roller coaster since he was admitted. He doesn’t remember those first few days in the hospital but by the time they’re weaning him off of it the swelling in his face has gone down. His clavicle and orbital bone were fractured and there were no words to describe the panic he felt when he woke up and realized he couldn’t open his mouth. 

But Steve had been there. He was quick to reassure Billy that everything was okay. He was in the hospital. He explained what had happened that night. He told Billy what he’d driven up to and was more than happy to let him know that he would never have to see Neil again. Billy tried so hard to speak but the words were muffled and unintelligible. Steve couldn’t understand him and it was so frustrating. 

“Hang on, okay? I got you something that’s gonna make this a lot easier.” Steve turned in the hospital chair and bent over the arm of it. There was rustling and then Steve sat up again, producing a dry erase board and a marker. Billy took it, scribbling something down quickly and turning it to face Steve.

** _Is Max okay?_ **

“She’s safe,” Steve answered. “She’s been staying with El and Hop. Neil won’t touch her.” 

Billy’s hands started to tremble and he let the board fall into his lap. He couldn’t have stopped the tears if he wanted to.

————

“Billy, you have to eat,” Steve coaxed, trying again to get him to take the shake the nurse brought in. Billy turned his head away from the straw. He was tired of drinking his meals. He missed food. And the stupid things were chalky and gross tasting. 

Steve sighed, setting the cup down on Billy’s tray in defeat. “I know you’re hungry.”

Billy would have denied it but his stomach betrayed him, letting out a loud rumble. He took his dry erase board and hastily scrawled on it.

** _Stop torturing me, Harrington!_ **

“Seriously,” Steve laughed. “It’s a shake, not battery acid.”

Billy wiped the board down and scribbled something else. 

** _It tastes like the bottom of a boot._ **

“It’s not that bad,” Steve told him. He took a sip to demonstrate and immediately, his face crumpled. Billy raised an eyebrow at him, daring him to try and back himself up after that.

“Okay. So it’s pretty bad.” He took the cup in hand again and held it out to Billy. “But you have to drink it. So I’ll make you a deal. You finish this and I’ll make you some soup tomorrow.”

Billy didn’t budge.

“And I’ll bring you ice cream.” 

Billy considered it. Scribbled.

** _Strawberry?_ **

“If I blend it and strain the seeds I think we can get away with that.”

Billy stared at the straw, sighed and reluctantly started to drink it down.

———-

When Billy was finally told he was well enough to be discharged, he practically ran from the building. He’d have to stay on the liquid diet until the wire came off in another six weeks and that really fucking sucked. But he could wear his won clothes again. He could get out of that sterile room and off the damned IV and go… Where?

Billy didn’t have a home anymore. Hop was taking good care of Max and she had her friends. Billy though? He didn’t have a safe place to go or a roof over his head. He stood in front of the hospital, holding his bag of meager possessions and completely, utterly lost. 

He was contemplating what shelter if any would take him in his condition when a familiar Beemer pulled up the the curb. Steve jumped out of the driver’s side looking frantic.

“I’m sorry. I was at the store and the line at the check out was insane. I didn’t think it would take that long.” He opened the passenger door and held it. “Come on. Let’s get outta here.”

Billy was confused. He pulled his board out of his bag.

** _And go where?_ **

Steve smiled wide. “I talked to my parents. They said you can stay at my place.” Billy swiped his hand across the board. Scrawled.

** _For how long?_ **

Steve shrugged. “There’s not really a time limit. I set up the guest room for you and I got some stuff I think you’ll like a lot better than the stuff they give you here.”

Billy hesitated. He erased. He scribbled. Paused. Erased again. He struggled with what he wanted to say. Steve had spent the last few weeks at his bedside, walking beside him in the halls so he could exercise, letting Billy use his walkman to listen to music so he had something to do in the sparse stretches of time when Steve wasn’t right there. Steve had come to help him. Steve had taken care of him. But Billy just couldn’t understand

** _Why?_ **

Steve frowned, looking from the board to Billy’s face. He could read that Billy wasn’t being defensive or trying to pick a fight. He was confused. He genuinely didn’t understand why Steve would do this for him. Billy erased again when Steve didn’t answer. He wrote more.

** _I hurt you._ **

Steve shrugged. “We all hurt you.” Billy looked stricken by that statement but Steve didn’t stop. “The signs were there. You needed help. We let you down.”

Billy’s hand started shaking. He turned the board around to write a response but Steve laid his hands over Billy’s, stilling him. 

“We let you down,” he said again. “And I’m so sorry. Because you…you did not deserve this.” Steve wouldn’t look at him. Couldn’t. He felt so much guilt. For missing the signs. For ever putting his hands on Billy.

“When I met you, you were a grade A asshole,” Steve said. “But that’s not who you are.” He squeezed Billy’s hand in his. “You’re defensive and sarcastic and you drive people away but you’re also this sweet, caring guy who’s been so beat down he’s afraid to feel anything. But you were starting to.”

“You were changing. Even before this, you were a completely different person than the guy who wanted to beat my ass in Joyce Byer’s living room.” Steve looked up at Billy through his lashes. Billy who looked like a deer caught in the headlights. But Steve kept going. “And the Billy that baby sat with me and sat on my couch watching shitty movies all night or bitching about my music just to get a rise outta me…I like him. I like him a lot.”

Billy still hadn’t moved. His blue eyes were fixed on Steve, wide and stunned. 

“I’m sorry,” Steve blurted. “I mean, I didn’t…this isn’t-”

Billy’s lips were warm and soft against his. It made Steve’s heart jump in his chest, even this little bit of gentle contact enough to send sparks tingling through him. Billy was kissing him. Billy Hargrove was kissing him. Steve wanted to get lost in it, to pull Billy in close and touch him the way he dreamed about for so long. But he had to be gentle. He wouldn’t let himself hurt Billy and especially not with their very first kiss. Billy pulled away, erasing the board and starting again.

** _You talk too much, Harrington._ **

Steve couldn’t help the bright, happy laugh that bubbled up from his chest. “Well maybe we can continue this…conversation…back home?”

Home. A home with Steve. Home sounded nice. They got into the car and Steve was pulling out of the parking lot when he noticed Billy in the middle of writing something else.

** _Do you think a “liquid diet” includes_ **

“Don’t you finish that!”

Billy laughed. And Steve thought it just might be his favorite sound in the whole world, wires and all.


End file.
